The Sum of the Parts: Orkney (BBC TV, 1971)—A Case Study

This chapter offers a critical examination of Orkney, a now almost forgotten made-for-TV film that was first transmitted, to some national acclaim, in the BBC’s Play for Today slot in 1971. Shot on the Orkney archipelago, off the north coast of Scotland, the film was adapted from three short stories by Orcadian writer George Mackay Brown, was directed by James MacTaggart and scripted by John McGrath, whose combined contributions created a work greater and more interesting than the sum of its constituent parts. The chapter traces how each of these figures came to intersect and how the film reflects the stylistic and political preoccupations of its makers. In this respect, Orkney deserves to be remembered not only for its own considerable aesthetic quality but also for its significance in a wider cultural history that embraces seminal moments in literature, theatre and television history.